Rules and Regulations For Ph.D. Economics

School of Economics - Ph.D. Economics - Rules and Regulations For Ph.D. Economics

Rules and Regulations For Ph.D. Economics

  1. Duration of the Program

    • The minimum period for completion of PhD requirements shall be three years from the date of registration, and the maximum period shall be seven years.

  2. Admission to the Program (perquisite qualification for admission)

    • To be eligible for admission to PhD, a candidate shall possess an M.Phil degree or its equivalent in a relevant subject (Economics) from a recognized university.
    • A college or university teacher or a member of the research staff of a research organization who holds a MA/MSc degree but has shown undoubted promise for research may also be considered for admission to PhD. Those who seek admission in PhD without having obtained M.Phil or its equivalent degree must pass M.Phil entry test and interview, which is pre-requisite for taking M.Phil admission in the University.

    Non eligibility for admission to Ph.D., a candidate:

    • Anyone who has been rusticated or expelled by any University or College for miss-conduct or for use of unfair means in the examinations or any offence involving moral turpitude.
    • Anyone who was admitted earlier to Ph.D. program but later was declared to have been ceased to be a student of the University under these regulations.

  3. Admission and Registration

    • A candidate seeking admission to PhD programme shall apply on the prescribed form.
    • The application shall be submitted to the Chairman (Chairperson) of the department in which the student wishes to pursue his/her studies.
    • All applications received in the department shall be periodically considered by the departmental Admission Committee to be constituted by the Vice-Chancellor.
    • The admissions committee, when satisfied, shall recommend to Advanced Studies and Research Board the candidates who are found suitable for admission to PhD programme.
    • The admission shall be approved by the Advance Studies & Research Board.
    • A “notification of registration” for each candidate approved for admission to PhD programme shall be issued by the University.
    • Each student so selected shall be required to register and pay the dues within 30 days from the date of issuance of the notification of registration, failing which the admission of the selected candidate shall be deemed as cancelled. The tuition fee and other dues shall be prescribed by the Syndicate from time to time.
    • In case of in-service students, they are required to produce NOC from their respective departments by the end of first semester, failing which their admission shall be cancelled.
    • Each PhD candidate shall be required to register for the course/research work at the beginning of each semester.
    • A student can do more than one PhD.
    • A student cannot do two PhDs, simultaneously even at different universities.
    • A student after taking a migration certificate from the QAU cannot pursue PhD here, unless he/she re-migrates back to this university.
    • A student cannot be awarded two PhDs on the same research material/document.
    • Every student at the time of admission to this University shall give an affidavit to the effect that he/she is not pursuing degree program studies at any other institution.
    • The Chairperson/Director or each department/school/Institute/centre shall forward within seven days of the commencement of the semester classes all the registration of courses cards to the Controller of Examination. A student may change/drop courses(s) within 15 days from the commencement of semester on the recommendations of the teacher and the chairperson / Director of the department/school/institute/centre concerned. No change or drop of the registered course(s) shall be allowed after 15 days of the commencement of semester. The registrar office notifies the exact dates for registration and change/drop course(s).
    • A student dropping his/her research programme during the semester shall deem to have dropped the semester.
    • The student dropping a semester shall be required to pay tuition fee for the semester.
    • The dropped semester shall be counted towards the maximum period of seven years, required for completion of PhD degree.

  4. Program of Studies

    1. The minimum period for completion of PhD requirements shall be three years from the date of registration, and the maximum period shall be seven years. Only under exceptional circumstances, to be described in detail by the candidate and supported by the supervisor, the Research Board may allow extension beyond seven years.
    2. Residence requirement of two years shall be necessary for the students pursuing PhD programme, However, in cases where the Supervisor and Co-Supervisor are satisfied that research work can be carried out outside the university, residency requirement may be exempted.
      1. A PhD student falling in the category defined by Clause 2(b) above shall be required to pass 24 credits of M.Phil courses within the first four semesters of admission.
      2. The courses shall be selected with the approval of the supervisor from amongst the courses being offered in the department.
      3. For the course work, the mode of registration and examinations shall be governed by the M.Phil regulations.
      4. PhD courses work should be completed by students in the first four semesters where they are required to do 18 credit hours after M.Phil, and in six semesters where they are required to do 42 credit hours.

  5. Comprehensive Examination and Seminars

    1. A student shall be required to pass a comprehensive examination, consisting of a written and an oral part, within three years of admission to the PhD programme.
    2. If a student does not pass the comprehensive examination in the first attempt, he/she may be given one more chance on the recommendation of his/her Supervisor. The registration of a PhD student shall be deemed as cancelled if he/she does not pass the comprehensive examination even in the second attempt.
    3. A department shall normally hold at least one comprehensive examination in an academic years.
    4. The comprehensive examination shall consist of written and oral parts. The examination shall be conducted by a PhD Examination Committee appointed by the Vice-Chancellor on the recommendations of the Chairman (Chairperson) of the department and Dean of the faculty concerned in consultation with the supervisor. The supervisor of the student will also be co-opted as a member of this committee. The pass percentage shall be 50%.
    5. After passing the comprehensive examination, but before the submission of his/her thesis, a PhD student will give at least one seminar on a topic relevant to his/her field of research.

  6. Supervisor, Thesis Title and Synopsis / Research Proposal

    1. The Research Board shall appoint a supervisor (and a co-supervisor, if necessary) from the relevant field and approve the field of research/title on the recommendations of the department concerned.
    2. In the faculty of Social Sciences, a research proposal will also be submitted by the candidate to the department within one year after passing the comprehensive examination.

  7. Biannual Progress Report

    1. The supervisor of a student shall submit a detailed report to the Research Board by 30th June and 31st December each year on the progress of the student in accordance with the prescribed format. In cases where no supervisor has been appointed, progress report will be submitted by the Chairman (Chairperson) of the department concerned. In case of two consecutive adverse reports, the Research Board may cancel the registration of the candidate.

  8. Thesis

      The thesis submitted by a PhD candidate shall comply with the following conditions:

    1. It shall form a distinct contribution to knowledge and afford evidence of originality, shown by the discovery of new facts, by the exercise of independent critical judgment, and/or by the invention of new methods of investigation.
    2. It shall not include research work for which a degree has already been conferred in this or any other university.
    3. It shall be written in English and the presentation must be satisfactory for publication.
    4. Any part of the thesis which has been published before submission of the thesis may be appended at the end of the thesis.
    5. The thesis shall be typed on A4 size (11.69”x8.27”) paper with margins of 1-1/2” on the left and 1” to the right, top and bottom of each page. The thesis shall be hard bound with red cloth cover and golden lettering on the front and spine.

  9. Examination

    1. There shall be a standing list of external examiners for each department consisting of persons of eminence in the respective field of research. The list shall be suggested from time to time by the Board of Studies of the department/Board of Faculty concerned and approved by the Research Board. The external examiners will be requested to critically examine the thesis for its suitability for the award of PhD degree.
    2. There shall also be a standing list of local examiners for each department consisting of eminent persons engaged in research in the respective area. The list shall be suggested from time to time by the Board of Studies of the department/Board of Faculty concerned and approved by the Research Board. The local examiners will be requested to conduct the final viva-voce examinations of thesis.
        1. The candidate shall in the first instance submit six unbound copies of his/her completed thesis along with an application on prescribed form for the evaluation of his/her thesis, duly forwarded by his/her supervisor and the chairman (chairperson) of the department:
          1. Three for external examiners
          2. One for Examination section
          3. One for department office
          4. One for the supervisor
        2. After corrections have been incorporated in accordance with the comments of external examiners; two copies of thesis in loose binding, to be sent to viva-voce examiners.
        3. After the viva-voce examination; four copies of the final hard-bound thesis the submitted:
            1. One for Examination Section
            2. One for Central Library
            3. One for the departmental office
            4. One for supervisor

          To be returned to the student after submission of hard bond copy

        4. The supervisor shall suggest a panel of at least eight external examiners from the approved list. The Vice-Chancellor shall appoint three external examiners from the suggested panel to evaluate the thesis.
        5. The reports of the examiners shall be placed before the Research Board for consideration.
        6. If thesis is adjudged as adequate by two of the three examiners, the Research Board shall allow the candidate to appear in the viva-voce (thesis defence) examination.
        7. If two of the three examiners find that the thesis is wholly inadequate it may be rejected by the Research Board.
        8. If any of the examiners suggests modification/revision of the thesis, the candidate shall be required to resubmit a revised version of the thesis, duly certified by the supervisor, within one year.
        9. The revised version of the thesis shall be approved by the same examiner who suggested modification/revision of the thesis.
        10. If any of the examiners finds the thesis adequate but suggests minor modifications/revision, this may be incorporated without referring again to the examiner as required in clause (i).
        11. The viva-voce examination shall be conducted by the two external examiners appointed by the Vice-Chancellor from the panel approved by the Research Board, the Supervisor and the Chairperson of the department concerned.
        12. The viva-voce examination shall be open to the public but the evaluation will be done only by the panel of examiners.
        13. If the candidate fails to satisfy the examiners in the viva-voce examination he/she may be given a chance to defend the thesis for the second and final time within a period of six months.
        14. A candidate who successfully completes all the requirements shall be awarded, with the approval of the Research Board and the Syndicate, the degree of PhD under the Seal of the University.

      The Vice-Chancellor may approve the recommendations of the Research Board on behalf of the Syndicate regarding the award of PhD degree to the candidate.

  10. Fee and Other Dues

    1. Each student shall be required to pay tuition fee and such other charges as may be prescribed by the Syndicate from time to time.

  11. Ph.D. Refinement Rules

    1. All the students registered in PhD program of the University after December 17, 2005 need to complete 18 credit-hours course work. The course work shall be based on at least 12-credit hours of class work teaching (regular courses) and up to a maximum of 6 credit hours of seminar.
    2. For a PhD student who does not hold an M.Phil or equivalent degree, the course work requirement shall be of 42 credit hours. The course work shall be based on at least 36-credit hours of class work teaching (regular courses) and up to a maximum of 6-credit hours of seminar.
    3. Deficiency in courses, recommended by the admission committee or supervisor, shall be part of the 18/42 credit hours course requirement of the PhD program.
    4. The 6-credit hours of seminar shall neither be counted towards the minimum teaching load of a faculty member, nor shall any faculty members of the University be paid for 6-credit hours of seminar.
    5. The students registered in PhD program of the University after December 17, 2005 must provide a copy of the paper published from the date presented in the thesis. In case the paper has been accepted but not published, an acceptance letter from editor or editorial staff of the journal must be provided to the examination section.
    6. For the students registered in PhD program of faculty of Biological Sciences and Natural Sciences after December 17, 2005, a paper published in W, X and Y categories shall be accepted until June 30th After June 30, 2009 paper published only in W category shall be accepted.
    7. For the students registered in PhD program of faculty of Social Sciences after December 17, 2005, a paper published in W, X or Y category shall be accepted.

  12. Limit of Maximum Number of Ph.D. students with a Supervisor

    1. Maximum number of PhD students with a supervisor : 10
    2. Minimum number of PhD students with each eligible Assistant Professor/Associate Professor : 01
    3. Minimum number of PhD students with Professor : 02

  13. Appointment of Supervisor for Ph.D. Students

    1. As a general rule, all the PhD and MPhil students registered in a department/school/institute/centre of QAU have to be supervised by permanent faculty appointed in that department/school/institute/centre. Only in exceptional circumstances wherein all resources within the department/school/institute/centre have been exploited and the possibilities of soliciting support from other department/centre of QAU have been exhausted, other possibilities can be explored.
    2. A permanent faculty member of QAU having already completed successful supervision of at least two PhD or one PhD and 10 M.Phil theses can supervise up to a maximum of 10 PhD students at any point of time.
    3. A permanent PhD faculty member of QAU who completed at least one MPhil supervision or has published at least 2 papers in HEC-recognized W category for Natural and Biological Sciences/ WXY categories in the Social Sciences, but has not yet completed successful supervision of at least two PhD or one PhD and 10 MPhil theses can supervise up to a maximum of 5 PhD students at any point of time.
    4. A permanent PhD faculty member of QAU can co-supervise up to maximum of 5 PhD students at any point of time.
    5. A permanent PhD faculty member of QAU can supervise/co-supervise up to a maximum of 12 PhD students at any point of time, subject to fulfillment of the conditions in clauses (02) (3) and (4) above.
    6. A permanent PhD faculty member when he/she has less than two years of his/her retirement should have co-supervisor for his/her PhD students. In all such cases the co-supervisors should have more than four years to retirement.
    7. A permanent PhD faculty member when he/she has less than one year of his/her retirement should not register additional PhD students as supervisor.
    8. The following categories of academics/researches holding PhD degree may be appointed as supervisor/co-supervisor of a PhD thesis subject to the condition that at any point of time the maximum number of students allocated to any such person will not exceed 3, and in each such case a permanent faculty member of QAU will be appointed as co-supervisor or supervisor as the case may be. This shall be subject to fulfillment of the conditions in clauses (2) (3) and (4) above:
      1. HEC Foreign faculty appointed at QAU for at least 3 years.
      2. Faculty appointed at QAU on contract for at least 2 years under any scheme.
      3. Retired faculty of QAU working with other universities/educational institutions or research organizations in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, with at least 3 years contract.
      4. Academicians/researches working in other universities/educational institutions or research organizations.
      5. Organizations in Islamabad/Rawalpindi holding a permanent position or a contract appointment for at least 3 years. The supervisors/co-supervisors would not seek any financial assistance from the University; however, they would be entitled to the HEC support for supervision, as per HEC rules.
      6. In case of a split PhD agreement a visiting faculty member, who is resident at QAU for at least 1 year, may be appointed as a PhD supervisor, provided that an agreement exists that the remaining part of the PhD will be supervised by the visitor on his/her return to his/her parent institution, along with the student supervised.
    9. An academic/researcher holding PhD degree, working outside Pakistan, may be appointed as co-supervisor of up to 3 PhD candidates. In all such cases the supervisor must be a permanent QAU faculty member.
    10. A permanent faculty member of QAU can supervise up to a maximum of 8 MPhil thesis/year but not more than 5 in a semester.
    11. The following categories of academics/researchers holding, PhD degree may be appointed as supervisor of an MPhil thesis subject to the condition that at any point of time the maximum number of students allocated to one person will not exceed four.
      1. HEC foreign faculty appointed at QAU for at least 1 year.
      2. Faculty appointed at QAU on contract for at least 1 year under any other scheme.
      3. Retired faculty of QAU, working with other universities/educational institutions or research organizations in Pakistan with at least 1 year contract.
    12. If the supervisor of a PhD student remains absent for two or more consecutive years, the student will have the right to seek change of supervisor. The appointment of a new supervisor will be subject to recommendation of the PhD admission committee of the concerned department/school/institute/centre.
    13. If a PhD student does not complete registration formalities for two consecutive semesters, his/her admission will stand cancelled.

  14. Procedure / Criteria for Exemption of Courses

      Procedure/criteria for exemption of MPhil/PhD Courses for the students who have studied/cleared in other universities/institutions recognized by HEC:

    1. Transfer of Credits:
      The admission Committee of the department concerned will decide on the maximum number of transferable credits on the basis of the information (Course outlines, Transcripts) provided by the applicant. The transferable credits depend on the standing of the institution where the candidate is transferring from, the nature of successfully completed courses and on the grades obtained. The maximum transferable credits will be 50%.
    2. Credit Transfer and Exemption Policy:
      Credit will only be transferred when the following conditions are met credit transfer cases will not be entertained after a student has started the programme of study:
    3. Application for credit Transfer:
      Application for credit transfer will be submitted by the student supported by the following documents:

      1. The course outline and teaching plan of the course that was completed in a different university/institution and which is being considered for credit transfer.
      2. The course contact hours and the name of the faculty who taught the course along with the relevant grades.
    4. Conditions for Course Transfer/Exemption:
      1. If the course content is 80% similar to the course content at Quaid-i-Azam University, the course credit will be considered for transfer.
      2. A course exempted elsewhere is non-transferable unless it is pursued as a regular course.
      3. Exempted courses shall not include seminars or audited courses.
      4. Exempted courses shall not exceed 50% of the credit courses being offered by the department at QAU.
      5. B grade or 65% marks are required for a course to be considered for transfer.
      6. The course work being sought for credit transfer has been completed at an HEC recognized educational institution.
      7. Acceptability to transfer credit to a student’s academic curriculum would be determined by the head of the department in consultation with the Admission Committee where the application is being made.

Note:

    • These rules and regulations of Ph.D. program are approved by the statutory bodies of Quaid-i-Azam University. We took care while typing these rules and regulations but still errors and omissions are expected.
    • For further details visit ‘Quaid-i-Azam University Calendar – 2012’ (https://www.qau.edu.pk/qaucalendar/)
    • Quaid-i-Azam University keeps right to modify / amend these rules & regulations from time to time. Any such modification / amendment will be implemented by School of Economics in its true spirit.